) recommended that I make a quick post about it. So, here goes.... The photo is of Aron (pronounced "ay-rahn"). I am a police officer in real life and I was a K9 handler for nearly 6 years. Aron was my partner for those years as well as my best friend. We patrolled some very mean streets and I could ALWAYS count on Aron having my back. With Aron beside me, I felt that I could take on anything that came my way and, more importantly, I knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure I went home every night up to and including sacrificing his own life if it came to that.
Back in the spring of last year, I had to retire Aron because he had developed a freak case of arthritis in his lower back. The vets tried to give him pain meds and we even considered surgery. Unfortunately, after all was said and done, it was just too painful for him to participate in the strenuous training required to do his job. Even with the surgery, Aron would be in constant pain and I couldn't put him through that.
Needless to say, I was bummed. The silver lining, however, was that after he was retired (as per my department's policy) I got to keep him as a pet. The first few times I went to work without Aron was hard (for both of us!) but after a while, Aron learned to enjoy his life of leisure (chasing squirrels, eating too much, etc...).
A few months after his retirement, I came home late one night from work and I noticed that Aron was sluggish and his stomach was swollen. I took him to the vet early the next morning and after an exam, we learned that Aron had a blockage in his GI (gastro-intestinal) track. The blockage was removed and it turned out to be a tumor.
The tumor was sent off for biopsy but I was staying optimistic that the mass would come back as "benign" and Aron could go back to his well-earned retirement. As fate would have it, this was not to be.
Aron was not bouncing back from the surgery to remove the mass, so I had to take him to a trauma vet. While there, the results of the biopsy came back; it was cancer. Not only cancer, but an extremely rare form of intestinal cancer. Even with painful chemo, Aron only had a 20% chance of living for a month.
Needless to say, I was devastated.
After many tears and soul-searching with my wife, I decided to forgo the treatment and bring Aron home. I tried to keep him as comfortable as possible and to be there for him.
On October 2nd, 2007, just over a week after I originally took Aron to the vet, I called our family vet over to the house. I cradled Aron's head while he was put to sleep on his favorite patch of clover next to the deck in the back yard. It was probably the hardest thing I've EVER had to do in my life. Aron was only 8 years old.
BOY! So much for a "quick" post. I didn't plan on going into so much detail but I guess I needed to write this out. AND, since I don't have a BLOG, you guys are my outlet. Sort of a catharsis, if you will.
Anyhoo, to make a short story long, I decided to make Aron my avatar as sort of a memorial.
Well, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. This was the first time I've written down ALL the details. I hope I didn't depress anyone! If it did, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. Aron was just a REALLY great dog and I wanted to share his story with you guys. I really enjoy coming to this site and whenever I see Aron's mug next to one of my posts I always smile!
THANKS FOR LISTENING!! Uh....reading, I mean.
PS: What about your avatars? Any cool/sweet/weird stories behind them? Share, por favor!
Edited, Feb 21st 2008 2:52pm by darqueblueknight
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